Amata

Dear pet parents,
I am Amata, an abstract visual artist from the Netherlands. I am a cat and dog person who always had cats. Funny how that turned out... I have a black boxer though... a Peugeot van that is. I am a very caring person. Also trustworthy, practical and technical. Ideal for house and pet sitting.

From early age I was a dog sitter. When I went studying I became the go-to dog sitter for my friends. I never needed to adopt a dog. Therefore I was only a parent, or better to say servant, to 5 cats for 35 years (1989 to 2024). In short: I am a modern cat-lady who also adores dogs.

Furthermore I am a non-smoker / non-vaper, handy with fixing up my place / houses. In the nineties I learned to weld, and soft- and hard soldering in the building where I used to live. I still have my studio there today.
My Airbnb reviews show that I leave houses very tidy. As I would like to find my house coming back home. I understand French and Spanish a bit (Am able to read Spanish fairly - speak duolingo style, level 48 atm), and speak English, German and Dutch (native) well. Sending photos and videos of your pets, and stories how they are, is nice to do, as it keeps you up to date.

Why I like to house and pet sit:
Besides the love for animals, culture and art, and my work, I love to walk / hike in nature. From 2000 I often visited Spain during my holidays (Andalucia, Catalonia, Aragon, Gipuzkoa), hiked in the Pyrenees. The combination of exploring more locations while caring for your dogs or cats is priceless.

Due to recent changes in my work (away from home for projects) I made the difficult decision to live without cats after my Nina passed away. As 2 of my borrow dogs are also in the eternal running fields (because of old age) it really would be a delight for me to settle into your requested pet routine. Walk, talk and play with your dogs. Talk and play with your cat(s). Giving them lots of love, cuddles, and the best time they prefer. That makes me happy too. It is the best way to connect to new surroundings, and experiencing an area from a local perpective :)

Experience as a pet parent:
Three of my cats I adopted from the animal shelter, and two as kittens from a nest. Ollie became the oldest, a grand old lady of 21. My latest cat Nina sadly died of kidney disease in 2024 at the age of 14. She, and Misja before her, loved my borrow-dogs. I am used giving medication to animals. This comes in very handy with the regular cat-sit who needs medicine against epilepsy. I spend time with her when friends nearby are on short holidays. She is a senior now.

The 35 years living with 'my' cats can be summarized as me being a cat-lady. Each with their own specific character of course. Accu, a male tabby, was difficult with other people and showed this. He was almost a dog in a cat body, and followed me everywhere. His cat behaviour was wanting to drink out of a running tap or muddy water outside. No drinking from a bowl in the house...

The rescue cats I adopted were a bit older when I got them. With Nina, my latest cat house mate, it took months before she trusted me. The result of a mistreated youth. When she was more at ease she surprised me with her talent for playing fetch with wadded up paper! She was very talkative, and never became a lap cat, but liked to lie down beside me on the couch whenever she could. She reached the maximum level of trust she was capable of, I think. Cats in the neigbourhood know me, and if I meet them outside they come to me if they feel like it. Except if I am walking with a dog...

Experience as pet & house sitter:
During december 2024 I was a pet and a off-grid house sitter for a German Pointer (3 yrs) in Spain with a good friend of mine and her Border collie. Learned a lot about sustainable household too (mindful of: electricity use according to sun pannel level - monitoring electricity & water level, using diesel generator when needed (as less as possible), use of non-chemical products, wood burner).

Loved getting to know the German Pointer and his super nose. He needed to be on leash in busier areas (couldn't handle overstimulation, living off-grid). The method: distract him with focus - and hold his favourite ball in eyesight in anticipation of situations with tension, and treats in my pockets for afterwards. Loved his humour, heaps of energy, scent skill, and focus on the ball (and treats of course) :)

Via THS I also had a wonderful stay and connection with two Mastiff- mix in Spain (region Gerona), Sept 2025. One of the rescue dogs (5 yrs) has anxiety issues, but it went really well after the introduction. It takes fine tuning into his signs and giving him his space. During walks he had to be on leash because of hunting instinct and the scents of wild animals on the mountain. I had to stand really firm when that happened. Both of them are big sweeties and I will see them more often. To me all dogs seem so small now! :)

My pet sits (stayed over at my house) were a Stabyhoun mix Berner senner, and a Stabyhoun. Sometimes I am the back up walker for a single-minded Shih Tzu from a neighbour, and a recently adopted 2 yrs young rescue dog from Romenia from a friend nearby. She is adapting very well.
The neighbour of my artist studio has a sweet Staffordshire. And I enjoy the long walks with a Border collie and stay overs (she needs to be challenged, great work with commands and agility training - keep in mind her seperation anxiety) who I've also known since her fluffy beginning.

As I travel more nowadays beside the change in my work projects away from home (therefore living without cats after 35 years). I seek the best of both worlds: to spend time elsewhere in good company of your animals.
Looking forward to meet you and your pet babies when you think it is a match. If you have questions or want to videocall to talk things through, let me know.

Have a nice day, and your furry ones too.
Amata

Traduire avec Google